New Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) Required for Use by August 21

The Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) Form CMS-R-131 is issued by providers (including independent laboratories, home health agencies, and hospices), physicians, practitioners, and suppliers to original Medicare (fee-for-service) beneficiaries in situations where Medicare payment is expected to be denied.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a revised ABN that includes an expiration date; there are no additional changes. The old forms were acceptable until June 21, 2017, at which time the renewed form became mandatory for use. CMS allowed a 60-day transition period for the renewed forms, thus use of the new form is required as of August 21, 2017.

More information may be found at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/BNI/ABN.html on the CMS website. The new forms may be downloaded at: